Notre Dame WR Will Mahone Arrested, Charged with Multiple Felonies

Notre Dame wide receiver Will Mahone was arrested Sunday morning and is currently facing five charges—three of which are considered felonies in the state of Ohio. On Monday evening Notre Dame announced Mahone's indefinite suspension from all football activities.

According to Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune, the felony charges are assault of a police officer, intimidation of a public servant/party official and vandalism of a government entity.

The two other charges he faces, both of which are misdemeanors, are for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Hansen explained the alleged incident in detail:

Police say an officer advised Mahone to calm down and get on the ground, to which Mahone responded with, "(Expletive), white boy." Police say an officer then took Mahone to the ground, but he repeatedly resisted arrest. Once Mahone finally was able to be handcuffed, police claim, he responded, "(Expletive), you white piece of (expletive). Takes these cuffs off and I'll kill you. I'll (expletive) kill you."

As Mahone was being led to the cruiser, police allege, he began to scream and shout and tried to pull away. Mahone is further accused of whipping his head back in an aggressive manor, striking a police officer on his forehead. Police accuse Mahone of trying to kick police after they again took him to the ground. At that point, an officer drive-stunned Mahone to gain compliance. As he was being taken to the cruiser, Mahone is accused of continually yelling, "Take these cuffs off, and I'll kill all of you."

Once placed in the cruiser, Mahone allegedly violently kicked the window in the back seat of the cruiser and had to be drive-stunned again. While police were outside interviewing witnesses, Mahone allegedly began to spit on the windows and the seats of the cruiser, at which time a spit net was applied over Mahone’s head.

The cruiser was on its way to the hospital to treat a cut near Mahone's eye, but police instead drove to Mahoning County Justice Center after claiming Mahone stated "Good, get me out of these cuffs and I'll kill you and all them bitches there." He's then accused of offering one more threat: "Bro, when I get out, I got a Glock 9 for your (expletive)."

The charges without context are serious enough, but the explicit (and horrifyingly candid) nature of what Mahone allegedly said and did is the most disturbing part of this story. Shouting racial epithets and death threats at a police officer, if true, is the kind of thing that could lead to an extended jail sentence—not just a team suspension.

But the facts must be allowed to come out. Bleacher Report's Keith Arnold, writing for Inside the Irish at NBCSports.com, preached patience with Mahone's case in the wake of similar incidents:

None of these details sound particularly good for Mahone's future in South Bend, though they should hardly be taken as gospel. It wasn't too long ago that Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese were taken in by local police with some hairy charges that eventually shrunk down to misdemeanor charges and community service.

Mahone has not seen the field much since arriving at Notre Dame before the 2012 season. He was a 4-star running back on the 247Sports Composite but has since been switched to slot receiver and struggled to get consistent reps because of injuries and competition.

A high ankle sprain relegated Mahone to just two brief appearances as a sophomore in 2013, and a broken foot knocked him out of practice this spring. He was already fighting an uphill battle to make an impact in South Bend, and the severe nature of these charges makes it reasonable to question whether he will ever play again.

Notre Dame officials released the following statement Monday morning, according to Hansen.

"The University is aware of this incident and is confident that it will be handled in a prompt and professional manner through the criminal justice system. Internal discipline is handled privately, in accord with our own policies and federal law."